After union members ratify the agreement, the deal goes to the seven-member school board.

Here's the full text of Smith's message:

Today, our schools are open as usual, our teachers are in their classrooms and our students are engaged in learning. I am really pleased we are in this place today, and I share our whole community’s sense of relief.

We can thank the bargaining teams for the Portland Association of Teachers and Portland Public Schools who worked so hard at the table to reach a negotiated settlement and prevent a strike.

As we move forward with a tentative agreement signed Feb. 18, I want to acknowledge that the process of bargaining this contract has been long and, at times, difficult for everyone involved. Through it all, both teams stayed committed to crafting a better labor agreement, and I’m proud that we tackled difficult issues together and ended up with a negotiated settlement.

The PAT has set a process for ratifying the tentative agreement. If it is ratified by the PAT membership, the proposal will then go before the Portland School Board. I look forward to sharing details of the tentative agreement with you when this process is complete.

I would like to thank all of our community partners who stepped forward with offers to help us keep our students safe and fed in the event of a possible strike. And I am grateful to all of you for everything you do to support our students.

Most of all, I am happy and relieved that today we have all of our fantastic teachers in our schools working with students.